Evil Dead Review

Mia Had a Rough Night

I spotted Lou Taylor Pucci at The Grove market/mall in Los Angeles back in early January. I geeked out inside a little and immediately wanted to get a photo. However, he appeared to be with a couple family members and I didn’t want to bug a family outing. After seeing the remake of the 1981 film, The Evil Dead, and Pucci’s performance in it, I sincerely regret not taking advantage of that photo op and ruining his nice day out with the fam (but what up-and-coming Hollywood actor wouldn’t love to get recognized?). Where last year’s The Cabin in the Woods satirized the horror genre, 2013’s Evil Dead has taken the new direction of horror shown in The Cabin in the Woods and broughtit to the next level.

This film had a lot of excellent things going for it at the earliest stages. First and foremost, original Evil Dead director Sam Raimi (The Spider-Man Trilogy, Oz: The Great and Powerful) and star Bruce Campbell (My Name is Bruce, “Burn Notice”) not only supported the remake, but produced it as well. I must admit that this film would have been blasphemous to me without at least one of their respective seals of consent. Secondly, Oscar-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody (Juno, Jennifer’s Body, Young Adult) agreed to pen the remake. Nabbing Cody’s fresh sense of humor was crucial in staying true to the bizarre, dark comedic vibe displayed throughout the original Evil Dead trilogy (The Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn, Army of Darkness). Thirdly, I learned the original cut of the film earned an NC-17 rating for all the blood and gore (but don’t worry, it’s still mostly there).

Speaking of blood and gore, you must be completely desensitized to keep your eyes open throughout the film’s runtime. I could describe the bloody acts shown with poetic grace and depth, but it’s much better that you head out right now and witness for yourself. If you can’t handle blood or gore, I think Jurassic Park 3D is your choice this weekend (and that film isn’t a refreshing walk in the park either, unless your park has hungry dinosaurs and Samuel L. Jackson).

My biggest complaint is that the heroine’s (no pun intended as our protagonist starts the film trying to kick a wicked H habit) name is Mia and not Ashley. Would it have been so hard to have a girl Ashley in Evil Dead lore? I think it’s the obvious homage that this film is missing. The rest of the film pays steady homage to the first two entries of the original trilogy all the way down to the chainsaw, plus a new running duct tape gag that’ll have you rolling in the aisles.